After recovering from losing positions to beat Chelsea and Southampton in the not to distant past, yesterday Newcastle managed to grab three points after going behind again as Papiss Cisse scored an injury time winner to defeat Stoke City at St James’ Park.
Jonathan Walters gave Stoke the lead after being felled by a rather reckless and unnecessary challenge by Cheik Tiote before Yohan Cabaye dragged the home side level with an exquisite freekick. However the glory was left until the last as Papiss Cisse smashed home from just outside the six yard box to give United a valuable three points which sees them jump to 13th in the table and extends the gap between us and 18th placed Wigan to nine points.
United had the better of the first half without really creating too much. Plenty of possession was enjoyed by the home side but they struggled to break down a solid Stoke outfit and only efforts from Yohan Cabaye and a guilt-edged chance which Yoan Gouffran skied over the bar were really worth mentioning.
Having said that, I get the feeling that Stoke were quite happy for us to have the bulk of the ball and territorial advantage. Essentially they were saying “break us down” and as the game wore on United’s attempts to do so became more desperate as the ball was just lumped into the box in the hope that Papiss Cisse could do something about it. Shackled by at least two men at all times, there wasn’t much he could do in fairness.
Into the second half and the pattern remained much the same as United found themselves unable to break down Stoke. The game had a “0-0” feel about in truth and time was starting to run out.
That “0-0” feeling turned to one of those “0-1 loss” feelings halfway through the second period as Jonathan Walters burst down the left only to be taken out by a rash sliding challenge from Cheik Tiote. No complaints from me about the award of the penalty kick which Walters duly smashed home to give Stoke a lead they barely deserved due to their sheer lack of any real attacking threat.
However just five minutes later and with 18 minutes remaining on the clock the home side were finally able to breach the Stoke defence, but it took an unstoppable freekick from Yohan Cabaye for it to happen.
Moussa Sissoko was fouled right on the edge of the penalty area which gave Cabaye a shot at goal. The wall was big and there wasn’t much to aim for, but Cabaye dinked the ball into the top-right corner of the Gallowgate net via the underside of the crossbar. That was his sixth goal of the season, all in the league, giving him a ratio of a goal every three games in the league (or 1 in 4 overall) which isn’t bad for a midfielder.
I must give a mention to Steven Taylor, who did his very best to put off Asmir Begovic in the age of time it took between the award and eventual taking of the freekick. He mirrored Begovic’s every move and tried his best to put the ‘keeper off. I’m not sure it had much of an impact but it was amusing to watch at least.
With the score at 1-1 and with time running out I hoped United would have turned the screw in the search for the winner, but it just didn’t happen. Sylvain Marveaux tried his best to create something but Stoke were equal to what we could offer in attack and the game looked destined to end as a draw.
That was until deep into stoppage time when Adam Campbell fed Marveaux who slotted a clever ball through to an unmarked and onside Papiss Cisse who fired past Begovic sending the home fans into raptures.
It was an important win for us although I’m yet to be convinced that we’re truly out of the relegation scrap it does at least give us some breathing space. If we keep on picking up wins, however ugly, then we’ll soon be out of it properly. We can give ourselves another few inches of breathing space by beating an in-form Wigan next weekend.
Howay the lads!
Newcastle: Rob Elliot; Mathieu Debuchy, Steven Taylor, Mapou Yanga-Mbiwa, Davide Santon; Yohan Cabaye, Cheik Tiote; Jonas Gutierrez, Moussa Sissoko, Yoan Gouffran; Papiss Cisse
Subs: Steve Harper, Massadio Haidara, James Perch, Vurnon Anita, Gabriel Obertan, Sylvain Marveaux, Adam Campbell
Stoke: Asmir Begovic; Geoff Cameron, Ryan Shawcross, Marc Wilson, Andy Wilkinson; Ryan Shotton, Glenn Whelan, Steven Nzonzi, Jonathan Walters; Cameron Jerome, Peter Crouch
Subs: Thomas Sorenson, Brek Shea, Charlie Adam, Dean Whitehead, Michael Kightly, Kenwyne Jones, Michael Owen
Attendance: 50,703
The puzzle from yesterday was when intelligent players like Debuchy persisted in crossing high balls into the box. I have seen nothing to suggest Sissoko, Gouffran or Cisse have an aerial presence but the crossing was relentless and totally ineffective. Whose to blame? The coaches or the players?
Toby le Rhone(Quote)
Don’t knock doms, takes a bit of thinking about. Unlike football, where tactics are irrelevant apparently.
premandup(Quote)
TAE – It’s as if Clough’s words were written for arguably the best manager we’ve ever had. The best strike pairing we’ve ever had didn’t comprise a big man.
Blackley & Brownlie(Quote)
B& B are you arguing that Pards is the best manager we ever had. 😆 😆 😆
premandup(Quote)
B+B @ 72 seems like Brian Clough would have said you were talking **** when you blame everything on Pards and his tactics or lack off 😀
Big Dave(Quote)
TLR – The players are largely to blame if the manager’s drumming it in and they’re taking no notice. However, there’s absolutely no sign that Pardew sees it as a problem. He seems oblivious. 😯
Dave @ 80 Aye, only if you don’t get what I reckon he means by “tactics”. You might well argue that keeping the ball on the deck is a tactic, a basic one. Clough lambasted his players on the training ground when they hit high balls so he himself employed basic tactics. I don’t know what game plan Pards sets out but it doesn’t work. We only seem to make a breakthrough when he abandons it and throws his note book away. It was players that won us the game yesterday, not Pards tactics. It was the individual brilliance of two or three players, after 70 minutes of us hitting a brick wall with high balls from corners and flanks. Fortunately, one of those players wasn’t Shola as it usually is or it might have been a different story.
Blackley & Brownlie(Quote)
TLR
Debuchy was doing his best, his one option was to get it into the box and so he did that, not his fault that we have no aerial presence.
Andymag(Quote)
Andy – Debs doesn’t have to put it in the keeper’s hands or on the head of the centre half. If you have no aerial presence, and your team has never had any success with high crosses since the big man left, you hit them hard and low, forget dominoes 😆 , and play pinball wizard. It got us a vital own goal last week.
Blackley & Brownlie(Quote)
Ice@63 Di Canio was well regarded by fans of Swindon he only left because of broken promises by the board. Seems to get the best out of players but is very fiery with it. We get lots of stuff on the local news about Swindon Town so have watched his managerial style with interest .He offered thousands of pounds of his own money to keep loan players at the club you know ,when the club had a transfer embargo and only left cause of finances being a mess and one of his players being sold without his knowing about it . If Reading do get him ,reckon he’ll do well with the right backing though they may find it too late to survive ,he’d get in the guys he wants and pretty sure he’d get them back up. Total nutcase mind wouldn’t find many players getting on the wrong side of him , as Leon Clark found out 😉
KIMTOON(Quote)
B&B
Debuchy does/did try that and that’s why we got so many corners, but then we face the same problem, poor delivery and no one can get on it. It might be different on Sunday, Wigan don’t pose that much of an aerial challenge so Taylor and M’biwa might get onto one or two or the corners.
Andymag(Quote)
I do agree that we should be playing the ball to feet more ,we have no excuse not to now we have so many technical Frenchies here. I would forget our current corner stratagy as well , it ain’t working 🙄 keep them short if we can’t find a head in the box other than the opositions 😳 .
KIMTOON(Quote)
Kim
We’ll see how he deals with Guthrie throwing lobster thermadoire at him 😆
Andymag(Quote)
Andy, surely Debuchy has also the options of getting to the bye-line and hitting the ball back low to the penalty spot , or cutting in and going for a shot at goal.
He did both to good effect playing for France against England so he should be capable of doing it for us.Then again, he might be following orders from Pardew to boot in high crosses at every opportunity.
sidekick(Quote)
Andy – It doesn’t matter who we play, we don’t get on the end of high balls. That worn “tactic” of the big man at the back post is chronic. It’s unbelievable that we stick with it. Pards is like the guy who can’t stop putting money in the fruit machine, working on the basis that it’s got to pay eventually. 🙁 I agree with Sidekick @ 88 amd Kim @ 86.
Pards should forget the fruit machine and forget dominoes. Play pinball Pards. 😆
Blackley & Brownlie(Quote)
Where’s ToonToon9 to liven up the craic with his wit and wisdom? 😀 I reckon he must have been a Trojan horse! 😉
Blackley & Brownlie(Quote)
I agree Pardew doesn’t know how to utilise wing play to the fullest.
However, he isn’t helped by static players in the box and midfielders who don’t bust a gut to get in, or around the box. I’m thinking of Cabaye when I say that. Marvelous player, but he doesn’t get forward enough for my liking.
The Kid(Quote)
Dave-No, sorry what I meant was-he’ll stay with us because nobody better than us (i.e a CL team) will come in for him 😆
Newkie(Quote)
fook 3hours l8r and i see bradford and bingleys record is still stuck on the same place i bet your as dull as dish water in real life
toontoon9(Quote)
The team would be very much improved at the minute with Anita replacing, HBA replacing Guaffran and Marveaux replacing Jonas.
Stuart79(Quote)
Wheyyyy TT9! 😆 He’s hasn’t been away! 😆 Lurking in the background but can’t think of anything to say. 😆 Come on TT, fella. In the words of Mrs Merton, “let’s have a debate”. Give us your insightful best. 😆
Blackley & Brownlie(Quote)
andy@87 aye 😆 😆 Must say Guthries wedding day antics did cross me mind ,god nows what Di Canio would make of that ,I’m sure he’d find it most unbecoming 😆
KIMTOON(Quote)
Andy ,Have you had anymore uni offers or you set for Stirling?
KIMTOON(Quote)
Forget Andy Carroll coming back. do we really want to see lobbed balls from every possible angle?
Don’t know why we kept doing it y’day. It was obvious Stoke would dominate from the back.. so why so many crosses 😐
mark(Quote)
Kim
No new offers, though I expect to get dundee’s reply soon. 😉
Andymag(Quote)
Martins is off to Seattle 😎 , US should suit him better than Russia 😕 , he (in his prime) was the sort of forward that we need, quick on the ground, powerful shot and good in the air, shame he was a money grabbing git. 😡
Andymag(Quote)
Andy-the U.S will suit him more because its a worse league more like 😀 Martins was alright, but too stupid to play on the wing imo ❗
Newkie(Quote)
Imagine Carrol and Cambell. Both playing for nufc Englands first choice geordie strikers. Would be mint 😆
Mag(Quote)
Toonsy
A decent view of what took place.
Not gonna get involved with other opinions.
It’s still early days, before our recent additions begin really slotting into the side.
I especially like both Gouffran and Sissoko.
Tons of pace, between them.
Thing is now with a bench full of quality, how will Pardew utilise them?
Horses for courses ?
Doubtfull as far as far as what we have seen.
Tactics ?
We should IMO, be taking advantage of the recently acquired pace .
Cisse up front, with HBA in a free roaming role behind (when he’s fit)
with Goofy and Marvelous on the wings.
That followed by both Sissoko and Cabaye.
Santon and Debuchy as fullbacks plus both Saylor and Yanga M’biwa, in the middle.
But there’s room for guys like, Bigirigama, Haidara, Tiote, (like to keep Simpson) Anita, Jonas and perhaps Campbell.
And i also think those out on loan, Ferguson, Ameobi and Abeid , are capeable of contributing in the near future.
But we do need a replacement CD for Colo.
Another striker ?
Nah ! and certainly not AC.
chuck(Quote)
Andy…Martins left Russia, he was plying his trade in Spain 😉 7 league goals in 18 games, he didn’t do too bad. Glad he’s gone, if we get past Anzhi he may have been facing us in the next round 😐
richietoon(Quote)
Richie
Oh yeah, would’ve actually enjoyed playing against him 😀
Andymag(Quote)
Andy…The fecker would probably have scored tho 😕 he bought out his contract in Spain(3m€), he wouldn’t have been on a great wage tho and Levante signed him for free so they’ve done alright out of him…apart from the fact they’re fecked for replacing his goals with the window being shut.
richietoon(Quote)
Richie do you think could we loan them Strolla 😉
Big Dave(Quote)
Dave…Don’t think so with the window being shut…unless we have a whip round and buy him out of his contract 😆
richietoon(Quote)
Richie well then if we can’t send him on emergency loan why not just give them him for free. 😉
Big Dave(Quote)
…Cos they’d tell us to **** off 😆 …tbf I don’t mind Shola as a bench warmer/penalty taker and slayer of mackems.
richietoon(Quote)
MAG
Carroll is ****. If he is playing as England’s first choice then England have serious problems.
JJ(Quote)
http://www.newsnow.co.uk/A/634139064?-11058:809 some good pr
TOONARMYELITE(Quote)
Richie
Do you know why he bought out his contract?
Andymag(Quote)
Mark,
Agree re the lobbed balls, I was about to do my nut about Pardew’s tactics again until he made some very influencial substitutions which won us the game. So that saved him.
JJ(Quote)
Apparently he just wants to move his family to the states, he’s shacked up with Balotelli’s sister 😯
richietoon(Quote)
Just getting ahead of myself a little here but …
Can anyone tell me, does the Europa League runner-up qualify for Europe if the winners have already qualified through their League position??
Going on Thursday and hoping its not our last European fixture for a while!
BIGPAPA(Quote)
BP…I think(fairly sure) it’s only the winner would qualify.
richietoon(Quote)
Isn’t Martins a bit old for Ballotelli’s sister. He’s about 47 now right?
JJ(Quote)
Richie-that doesn’t surprise me, Martins is probably afraid of Mario bringing “the boys” round. Maybe that time he accidently set fire to his own house with fireworks he was planning something far more sinister…
Newkie(Quote)
Bigpapa-only the champions I believe, though I could be wrong. I mean chelski qualified at the expence of spurs instead of alongside them, so maybe a spot doesn’t go to the winner’s league if they have already qualified?
Newkie(Quote)
You’ve gotta laugh > http://bbcsporf.lockerdome.com/articles/106690779
But seriously I reckon a Tesco value burger has more brain cells than Saylor! 😆
Toon Chicken(Quote)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EJvM7ufWJdc
One of Martins best goals for us, it was great when we used to beat Spurs all the time, I hope we can beat them next season, or even this season. 🙂
DJG(Quote)
Newkie 😆
JJ…he’s a mere 28….or is it 21? 😉
richietoon(Quote)
Na Richie, he was 21 going on 28 when he was here.
He must be 17 going on 37 now.
JJ(Quote)
JJ…tbh I thought he was older than 28 now….maybe he is!! 😯
richietoon(Quote)
Martins is 28 ,just looks older .
KIMTOON(Quote)
Kim…I know, I just “thought” he’d be older now …but the song for him was :Oba-Obafem, Oba-Obafem, Oba-Obafem, Obafemi Martins… 21 or 28, 21 or 28, 21 or 28, Obafemi Martins 😉
richietoon(Quote)
Richie , ah right 😆
KIMTOON(Quote)
Well, if Martins can still celebrate like he used to then he must be early 20s, I mean once you hit 40 you can hardly walk or anything, right?
Newkie(Quote)
lol Saylor is mint. that was classic distractions 😆
mark(Quote)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=To1cNeagbv4&NR=1&feature=endscreen
Just found this, brilliant 😆
andymag(Quote)
Where is everyone 😕 ?
andymag(Quote)
We’re all watching Messi.
sidekick(Quote)
Sidekick
Didn’t see the second goal was it good?
Andymag(Quote)
Andy;
just got back down after getting granddaughter off to sleep.
Second goal was typical Messi, he hit the ball and the ball hit the net.
I missed the third goal but will probably see it as replay at end of game.
sidekick(Quote)
sidekick
Good skillful game but the Schalke v Galatasaray is more of a competition, AC Milan look lost for ideas in this leg, Abate is the only player playing well going forward but he’s so knackered that he isnt tracking back, like a better Santon 😕
andymag(Quote)
How about this. We sign Messi on a pre-contract now for when he turns 40? He’ll probably still be better than most players.
The Kid(Quote)
The Kid yeah Messi is a wee bit special 😉 I don’t even know what it is about him, a bit like Best, Pele, Maradona etc just a one off
Big Dave(Quote)
I love when Rooney and Ronaldo used to get compared to Messi a few years back. Fair enough Ronaldo, but look at Rooney now…great for an Englishman, but so poor in comparison. I swear Rooney used to be better when he was 16-18, he seemed to only score screamers..
Newkie(Quote)
Newkie
I’d put Rooney in the top 10 maybe 8 players in the world but he isn’t at a level to be considered any better.
Andymag(Quote)
Andy-He’s still well up there, but what’s crazy is how little he seems to have improved…well, maybe I only think that way as a toon fan seeing as he used to destroy us and now doesn’t do **** 😆
Newkie(Quote)
Deluded scousers thinking Hatem would want to go there 🙄 . Rodgers is supposedly only gunna be given 20m to spend and the rest is from sales ie when they sell Suarez meaning their team is screwed as he’s their only decent player
Andymag(Quote)
Anyone watched this video on how Steven Taylor “assisted” in Yohan Cabaye free kick goal? 😆 😆
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=4cLJ3DSzurQ
AngelOfDeath(Quote)
opps, someone else posted already. Oh well… having a laugh now. 😆 😆
AngelOfDeath(Quote)